My youthful dream of finding a cure for cancer has prompted me to pursue a career in chemistry. However, the more chemistry I learned during my undergraduate years, the broader my interests became, and my priorities somehow shifted. I was lucky to be awarded a scholarship grant by the Government of Japan, initially as a research student in the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory of the Faculty of Science. At first, my student life was a bit difficult. Homesickness, Niigata’s cold weather and my Nihongo insufficiency added a lot of pressures on top of barely knowing what is going on in my research. I think that investment of more patience, faith and love in one’s work, and continued hunger for knowledge are important aspects in pole vaulting the hurdles of studies. These, together with the guidance and support of my professor and colleagues, have driven me to the path where I am trekking now. My experiences in and out of the university have improved my “scientific intuition” and have widened my perspectives, not only to be methodological in research but also in life in a bigger and more complex world.